Sweet Dreams
by bicpencils
Summary: Sometimes, two people love each other. And sometimes, that fact is really unfortunate. Asuka/Ryo.


**A/N**: Please forgive any typos for now! I wrote this on a whim at 3 AM and I'll correct it in the morning when I'm in a clearer state of mind.

* * *

Insomnia is a terrible thing.

And would you believe Asuka Tenjoin if she told you that she had it? You probably wouldn't, for two reasons. The first being obvious, that she wouldn't tell you in the first place. The second being less obvious, that such a skilled duelist must get her sleep, as well as to keep her beautiful complexion and figure. The first one might override the second, but there did happen to be a person who knew.

This person is Ryo Marufuji, who is, coincidentally, her "partner-in-crime," her "detective," if you want. It made perfect sense; she couldn't have been the only one affected by the disappearance of her brother. Thinking so would be stupid. He was one of the top students, a "ladies man," and a friend to many other students. Of course, who else would miss him nearly as much as she than Ryo?

Not anyone she knew personally, that was for sure. At least, not anyone still on the island.

That lighthouse became their meeting area, and really, what better place? She thought about it while looking up at her ceiling in the dead of night and thought of how ironic that was. Two lighthouses guiding home a boat unseen. The light shines, but if the boat is too far away, the light can't reach. The boat's lost at sea, lost in the darkness.

Of course, the sun always comes up. This is inevitable. Maybe that didn't fit so well with the metaphor.

At times, she wondered about Ryo's sleeping habits while butchering her own. Was he awake at the same time as her? Did he have a similar issue? So, one day, on the docks, looking out onto the waving water, her curiosity got the better of her. What do you know? He believed her; maybe because he knew her. He always knew her much better than so many others. And maybe that was what made her love him. Well...care about him deeper than that of platonic emotions. It was hard to tell, especially in the middle of the night, which happened to be the only time that this sort of thought dared to cross her mind.

He gave her the love of a brother that was missing, but something was different. Attraction, maybe? It was hard to deny that Ryo was very attractive, at the very least. Despite the way these feelings may have transpired, they certainly were there and not going away anytime soon.

And, really, what's worse than not knowing if the person you love loves you in the same way? She couldn't tell, and she couldn't ask. She just knew that every time she let her guard down, Ryo was there and, hey, let's face it, he had enough for two. There wasn't enough time. There never once was. When they worked together to find Fubuki, how could she focus on romance? When he came back, how could she focus on anything or anyone else? And suddenly, sometimes, people just disappear.

* * *

It's a year or so afterwards, and the first time she sees Ryo on a television screen in quite some time when he's actually winning a duel. Her brother, behind the couch that she sits on. It didn't cure itself automatically, but somehow, she'd been able to get the sleep she'd so very much needed after her brother had returned and recovered.

No matter how silly he could get, he was her brother and she loved him. Very much platonically. And with that obvious comparison, she came to the sad realization that the feelings she harbored for Ryo were truly more than just that.

Now, she's watching a foreign man in Ryo's body. Someone clad in leather and painted black, the only blue left as a permanent stain on his head. Her eyes and mind told her it was Ryo. But something inside of her said differently.

They were different! Maybe not different people, but different minds.

And honestly, that's a lot to reconsider when you think that you were in love with this type of person. Now, all he showed was...

No remorse. No mercy.

Well, now, it's obvious. Neither of them lose sleep anymore.


End file.
